- At the invitation of His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, the Summit of Heads of State and Government of Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) was held on 25th April 2025 under the Chairmanship of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni
- The Summit was attended by H.E Dr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of the Federal Government of Somalia, HE Prof. Kithure Kindiki, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed, Prime Minister of the Republic of Djibouti, H.E Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and HE Ayisha Mehamed Musa, Minister of Defence of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The Summit was also attended by the HE Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; H.E Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of the InterGovernmental Authority on Development; H.E James Swan, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General and head of the United Nations Transition Mission in Somalia; and H.E Ms. Aisa Kacyira Kirabo, Assistant Secretary General and Head of the United Nations Support Office in Somalia. Also in attendance were the representatives of the European Union Delegation; the United Kingdom; and the United States of America.
- The purpose of the Summit was to discuss the prevailing security situation in Somalia and during the Summit, the Heads of State received a report of the Ministerial meeting ( Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence) on the review and proposed way forward on the security situation and performance of AUSSOM (Sector by Sector), update on the Somali Security Forces (SSFs) state of preparedness and progress in Force Generation, Integration and Mentorship, status of handed over Forward Operating Bases, the AUSSOM Exit plan, funding of AUSSOM, and TCCs Plus Somalia Peer Review Mechanism for Oversight, Accountability, Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation for AUSSOM and Somiali Security Development Plan.
- The Summit was preceded by the Ministerial and Senior Officials’ Meetings from 22nd – 24th April 2025 at Mestil Hotel, Kampala, where a Ministerial report was adopted and presented to the Heads of State and Government. The Summit
- Noted with appreciation, the progress made by the leadership of the Federal Government of Somalia which includes; joining the East African Community, becoming a non- Permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, lifting of the arms embargo, implementing financial reforms necessary for economic growth as well as preprations for the next election where they have embarked on registration for voters;
- Directed the Chiefs of Defence Forces of the TCCS plus Somalia to work out a comprehensive plan to deter, degrade and eliminate Al Shabaab;
- Underscored the importance to increase the AUSSOM troops on a bilateral basis in the short run to address the prevailing security situation in Somalia, so as not to roll back the hard- earned gains made so far;
- Reaffirmed their commitment to continue to support the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) in its stabilization efforts in the spirit of Pan – Africanism;
- Stressed the need to increase Air Assets, capabilities and Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance. (ISRs) as force multipliers, and further underscored the importance of using all available assets in a coordinated manner;
- Underlined the need to ensure proper fortification of the Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) in the AUSSOM Sectors;
- Encouraged the Federal Government of Somalia to strengthen civil-military coordination, prioritizing humanitarian relief and quick-impact stabilization projects in recovered territories to consolidate security gains and foster enduring community trust;
- Took note of the Federal Government of Somalia’s efforts to strengthen its relationship with the Federal Member States through the National Consultative Council mechanisms;
- Reaffirmed the need to establish mechanisms for countering extremist narratives to counter Al Shabaab propaganda by promoting interests as opposed to identity;
- Stressed the importance of recruiting Community/ Local Defence Forces (LDFs) and mobile forces to hold and consolidate the areas that were liberated;
- Underscored the need to finalize the African Union and United Nations procedures to expedite the deployment of the Egyptian troops;
- Stressed the importance of addressing operational shortfalls through the provision of adequate, sustainable, and predictable funding and rapid force generation to fil identified capability gaps, ensuring mission effectiveness and boosting morale among deployed personnel;
- Retterated that the best solution to adequate, predictable and sustainable funding is the application of the UNSC Resolution 2719 (2023) on Somalia;
- Welcomed the role of the traditional and non-traditional Partners to support the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and the Federal Government of Somalia;
- Agreed to submit the decisions and recommendations of this Extra-Ordinary Summit of the Troop Contributing Countries to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia and the Federal Government of Somalia to the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) for endorsement and onward transmission to the United Nations Security Council as a working document; and
- Commended His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, for convening this Extra-Ordinary Summit and expressed appreciation for the excellent facilities extended by the Government of the Republic of Uganda to all delegations.
DONE at ENTEBBE, STATE HOUSE, on 25th APRIL 2025
Download the attached Communique in PDF below.
